


Erised

by ShadowsIntoLight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Evil Dumbledore, Gen, Magic, Mirror of Erised
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 06:39:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4128507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowsIntoLight/pseuds/ShadowsIntoLight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was already someone there - but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Erised

**Author's Note:**

> I did this for a school project. The assignment was to rewrite the climax of a favourite book. Since I've read so many fanfics with this twist, I decided to give it a shot. It was just to have a little fun.

** Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone **

** Chapter Seventeen **

**.**

**.**

**.**

There was already someone there - but it wasn’t Snape. It wasn’t even Voldemort.

 

It was Dumbledore.

 

“Sir?” Harry said cautiously. The wizened old wizard nodded as he turned around. He didn’t seem the least bit surprised at the shock on Harry’s face.

“Me,” he said, cooly. “I wondered if you’d figure it out, Mr. Potter.”

“But I thought- I thought it was-”

“You thought it was Severus, the cruel teacher everyone feared? He does seem like the type, and beside him, I seem like a saint. Who would suspect loyal, good Albus Dumbledore?”

Harry couldn’t believe it. Dumbledore couldn’t be the one after the Philosopher's Stone. He was trying to protect it!

“But you and Nicholas Flamel were working together to keep the stone safe!” he said, trying to desperately find some proof that it wasn’t true, that the one wizard he really looked up to was evil-

 

“Flamel was a fool. He didn’t have the guts to use the stone for it’s true purpose: staying alive long enough to master the magic needed to dominate the wizarding world and destroy any who decide to fight back, to rebel against the new world order I will create.” Dumbledore scoffed.

“So I stepped in, spinning false tales of Voldemort’s imminent return and how dangerous it was to leave the stone on it’s own. Flamel agreed, and we moved it to Gringotts. But I easily got him to move it once more after a break in staged the same day that I had Hagrid remove the stone and bring it to Hogwarts under my orders.”

“The lumbering oaf was always so loyal to me, so trusting that he didn’t question anything. The teachers were instructed to be creative with their protection but to keep it simple as well. I convinced them that many wizards would over-think something like this. Their defences were weak. Three eleven-year-olds got through them. But it was the perfect plan, really. And now, the stone is here, right in my grasp, and with it, the wizarding world will be mine, and then, the Muggle world too.”

 

“You’re going to take over the wizarding world?” Harry asked, his hope diminishing quickly.

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling with an maliciousness that seemed so obvious now. “Of course. Voldemort didn’t have the power I do. I’ve waited years for this day.”

Dumbledore pulled out his wand, and with a flick of his wrist, Harry was immobilized from the neck down.

“But why do you want to control the wizarding world?” Harry asked, confused. Dumbledore had always seemed powerful, but not like an evil lord type.

 

He turned back towards the Mirror of Erised.

 

“I had been working at Hogwarts for only a few years when the realization hit me. I wasn’t feeling fulfilled as a teacher. I wanted more power. I wanted to see people bow at my feet, because I was stronger than them all. I was better than others. I took the position of Headmaster from Armando Dippet when he passed away, but it wasn’t enough. I still thirsted for control. But I bided my time, waiting for the right moment when I would be able to put my plan into action.”

 

“You wanted power?” Harry said questioningly, surprised. The Headmaster nodded.

 

“Everyone wants power, Harry. Some people just don’t have the backbone to grab it when it’s in their grasp though. Voldemort did, and he ruined my chance. He wasn’t subtle, killing anyone who looked at him wrong. His actions set me back 10 years while I helped the world clean up his mess. But now, I finally have everything I’ve ever wanted in my reach. The only thing stopping me is this.” he said sourly, looking at the Mirror of Erised with a glare that could kill.

“Flamel set the final barrier of protection, and used this mirror to do it. He realized my plan, but he was too cowardly to get help. He knew I would get even eventually. I always do. So he snuck in on Halloween, using a pitiful troll as a decoy while he changed the stone’s final protection. I scared him off by sending Severus with orders to watch out for an intruder, but was too late. Flamel had escaped.”

 

“Nicolas Flamel let the troll in?” Once again, Harry was shocked, but Dumbledore either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He continued to talk, telling the story of his brilliant plan.

 

“Funnily enough, he knew just as well as I did that the safest place for the stone was here in Hogwarts. Anywhere he took it would be quickly found be me. So he just added another thing to protect it. The mirror I had left in this room now has the Stone inside, but I cannot get it out. It’s tricky magic, but not impossible to outwit.”

“The spell allows anyone looking at the mirror to see the stone, but you will only get it if you want the Stone, but not to use. That’s why I needed you, Harry. You and your friends never wanted anything from the Stone, you just wanted to save it from everyone else who wanted it. So you’re going to get it for me.”

Harry shook his head furiously and was about to object,  but the mirror suddenly caught his attention. Instead of his family, all he could see was himself, looking scared and scratched up. But, all of a sudden, the reflection _moved_.

He blinked; no, it wasn’t his imagination or a hallucination. His other self smiled at him, and held up a bright red stone with one hand. Then his mirror self put the stone into his pocket.

 

His pocket was suddenly heavy - he’d got the stone!

 

But he said nothing to Dumbledore, who sighed. “I guess I was wrong. Somewhere in your heart, you want the stone, and are useless to me now.”

 

Dumbledore looked at him, almost saddened. “I can’t let you live now. You know too much-”

Harry rolled his eyes.

“And who’s fault is that?” he asked mockingly. Dumbledore scowled at him, but continued.

“I’ll have to kill you, and possibly your friends Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger too. I know they’re on their way to the Owlery to send a message to me.  I’ll find them and lead them back down here, where you’ll be already dead and they’ll quickly follow. It’ll look like an accident, that you’d been sneaking around and got into the third floor corridor looking for a shortcut to your common room. Hagrid’s beast tore you all to shreds, and the Boy Who Lived  was killed in the fatal mistake.”

Harry tried to move with all his willpower, but he couldn’t. The spell was too strong. He managed to glare at Dumbledore with fury.

“Leave Ron and Hermione out of this. They’ll never know if you don’t tell them.” Harry said, visions of his friends as they died mixed with faint memories of his dreams and flashes of green light as they cried out clouded his thoughts, but he managed to push them away.

The Headmaster shook his head, and his long silvery beard moved with the motion, shifting back and forth.

“You’re not really in the position to bargain Harry. They’ll be next, because those two will never keep their noses out of my business so this won’t happen again. All I have to do right now though, is get rid of you. It’s actually satisfying to be able to know that I did the one thing Voldemort couldn’t do. It marks the beginning of my new rule.”

“You’ll never get away with this, even if you do get the Stone. It only takes one person to connect the pieces and then it’s game over.” Harry said, struggling to break free of the curse that still held him tight.

“Yes, but by then, I’ll have built my empire. It’s really a shame that you’re going to die. I won’t have an enemy once you’re gone. But, you can’t get everything you want in life.” Dumbledore said, a tinge of sadness in his voice. He raised his wand and said "Accio." and the Philosopher's Stone flew out of Harry's pocket and into Dumbledore's hand.

 

"This is goodbye, Harry Potter."

 

Dumbledore pointed his wand at Harry steadily, his arm perfectly still and aimed between his eyes.

Harry saw a flash of green light, and then nothing. It was over.

 

*****

 

Epilogue

Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger were killed June 4 by a three-headed dog in the third corridor. The dog was guarding a priceless object, the Philosopher’s Stone.

The death of the Boy-Who-Lived was shocking to the wizarding world, but they quickly moved on. The boy wasn’t really that special now that You-Know-Who was gone and wouldn’t need to be destroyed.

 

People at Hogwarts continued their daily lives, never the wiser.

 

 

It wasn’t until his second year there that Gryffindor student Neville Longbottom realized that there was something fishy going on at the school. He befriended Ginny Weasley, another Gryffindor and a first-year, who was hard to convince, but finally believed him. She joined him on his quest for the truth, along with Luna Lovegood, another first-year in Ravenclaw, and one of Ginny’s friends.

She was a little odd, but didn’t doubt them at all when they told her about their theory.

It was Luna that pointed out how Dumbledore was almost never seen anymore.

 

The trio continued to gather evidence and clues. Ginny proved to be very good at getting people to confess things they shouldn’t, and Luna was very good with books. Neville became their leader, and together, they became a team.

Albus Dumbledore finally rose to power two years after the incident with the Philosopher’s Stone. According to witnesses, he walked into the Ministry of Magic (the wizarding world’s government) and told Cornelius Fudge, who was the Minister of Magic at the time, that he was in charge no longer. This was a sudden surprise to the wizarding world, but no one was crazy enough to stand up to Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard since Lord Voldemort and Gellert Grindelwald.

 

But he’d only be in charge for so long.

**.**

**.**

**.**


End file.
